Posts Tagged ‘kia west point’

Kia will begin producing the 2012 version of its Optima sedan at West Point later this year.

Fresh on the heels of a 53% jump in May sales, Kia has announced plans to spend $100 million on a series of expansion projects at its assembly plant in West Point, Georgia, as part of a plan to focus on domestic production for an expanding U.S. market.

Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia Inc. expects that by the time the project is through the still-new factory will see capacity jump by roughly 50%, to 360,00 units cars and crossovers annually.

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The expansion follows Kia Motors’ announcement at the 2011 New York International Auto Show that the award-winning Optima midsize sedan will be added to the plant’s production line.

The new Kia assembly plant, in Georgia, will eventually employ 2,500 workers and have a capacity of up to 300,000 vehicles annually.

A white Sorrento crossover vehicle rolled off the assembly line, in West Point, Georgia, today, marking the start of production at Kia’s first U.S. assembly plant.

The new, $1.2 billion facility will eventually employ 2,500 workers on the line, and another 7,500 to support the plant, the automaker said, with production capacity to reach 300,000 vehicles annually.

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“The start of production for our first manufacturing facility in the United States further demonstrates our commitment to growth in North America and we are proud to be adding 2,500 jobs to the local economy,” said B.M. Ahn, President and CEO, Kia Motors America (KMA) and KMMG, during a ceremony to mark the opening of the West Point plant.